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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 20:44:27 GMT -5
[[For England or Australia]]
Aotearoa walked down from the pa to the beach with his spear in one hand, and a flax rope with a hook attached in the other. The dispute between the tribe in this area and one of their neighbours may have been over, but the elders insisted on him taking a weapon with him when he went fishing in case any of them refused to accept the end of the battle.
He walked past a body lying on the ground, but paid it no heed. It was one of his tribe's enemies, and by now he was used to seeing things like this. His people had been fighting among themselves for centuries over land and power, and although he was proud that his people were such strong warriors he occasionally wished for complete peace among his people. But that will never happen.
He shook his head to clear thoughts of past battles from his mind, and reminded himself that he was here to go fishing. Finally he reached the beach, and walked to his usual spot on the rocks. The fishing seemed a little better around the rocks since people didn't tend to swim there. He put some bait on the hook, and tossed the hook into the sea hoping for a bite.
He looked out at the open water to make sure there were no freak waves to wash him off the rocks when he saw something odd. There was a strange waka sitting further out on the ocean. It was larger than his people's crafts, and had these strange white things that looked a little like clouds.
He swiftly pulled the rope and hook out of the water, and ran for the safety of the trees at the edge of the beach. He then hid among them, and watched the strange waka from there. He wasn't sure who owned this strange waka or why it was there, but he planned to watch it in case they planned to come closer to land and attack the pa.
Pa = village
Waka = boat, canoe, etc.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 21:28:44 GMT -5
England straightened his uniform and looked around the ship and the shimmering blue water. He knew where they were headed, but couldn't say a word. He wasn't supposed to know very much about the strange landmass they were approaching, but he did. Looking around blank faced at the crew, he found it difficult to remain indifferent.
Why is it so difficult to act like I don't care anymore? he thought, sighing as the ship approached the island at a steady pace. He wondered if the events would happen the exact same this time around. Can I do something different, by accident, and change history permanently? was one of his larger concerns. Although there was some things in history he wished he could change, with more contemporary understanding of what could be done differently, altering history could possibly have disastrous affects.
The ship eventually came to a halt as close to the shore as it could go. One of the smaller boats was lowered into the water, and he steadily descended down the rope ladder, and sat down. The orders were given and they began to row to shore. Modern mannerisms nearly had Arthur asking each of the crewmembers their names and having a good chat with them. No, that's not done, he self-scolded.
The approach to shore was slow. Even Arthur, who was not a speed demon, found the slowness to be a tad trying on his patience. His facial expression, however, revealed nothing and remained stone still. Cold even. The crew seemed to avoid looking straight at his face. It made England feel slightly alone, isolated on a tiny boat in some ocean far from home.
They came to a stop, eventually, on the shore, and he was aided in getting out of the boat. Glancing around he tried to remember exactly how things had happened in history. Where was the boy? He wondered, looking around. He was tempted to yell out, “William, come to me. It’s your papa”. But of course, the boy would probably run away instead. He doesn’t know who I am, he thought, slightly disheartened.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 22:24:48 GMT -5
Aotearoa watched as the strange waka came closer to the beach. He had no idea whether the boat was friendly or unfriendly. He put down his fishing line on the ground, and gripped his spear more tightly. He wasn't sure if he had enough time to go to the village and get someone to come back with him, or even if the sentries had seen the strange waka.
He watched as the waka stopped moving and an even smaller one came out of the first one! Is the bigger one its Mother? Aotearoa moved along the tree line towards the pa, and watched the smaller one come closer and closer to shore. He also noticed some warriors coming down the path from the pa either to drive this threat away or to protect him, but he wasn't sure which it was.
"Aotearoa!" One of them said as they approached. "The elders want you to go back to the pa! We'll protect everyone."
"Kaore." Aotearoa said. "I'm coming with you."
The warriors looked at each other for a moment, and nodded in acceptance. Five warriors were better than four, and they fanned out behind the tree line with Aotearoa in the middle. They watched as the waka was pulled ashore, and strange looking men getting out of it. They looked nothing like Aotearoa or his people, and one looked to be dressed differently to than the others. Was he their chief? The other warriors looked at him for guidance. As their nation he was supposed to know how to handle strangers, right?
Aotearoa watched their chief as he started looking around. What was the chief looking for, and he'd separated himself from the rest of their group. Perfect! He signalled to the others, and moved in front of the tree line holding his spear in a defensive position. If these strangers chose to attack at least he knew it wouldn't kill him. He always seemed to last longer in battles than everyone else. He knew the other four warriors were well hidden behind the trees, and wondered if they could capture the strange chief if they got an opportunity. Well, now was the time to see if the strange chief would come to him, or if he would have to leave the tree line and go to him.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 22:45:00 GMT -5
England glanced into the trees, swearing he could see something. That could be anything, he decided, shaking his head slightly. He had separated himself from the group on the assumption that New Zealand was still the young boy he was the first time this had happened. Frowning slightly, he walked along the line of trees, inspecting. Coming to a halt, he stopped just short of where the other nation had hidden in his memory.
He continued to stare into the shadows, hoping that the boy would appear. When he didn’t, England shook his head and walked back towards the shoreline. He checked that his weapon was still in place, weary that he may be attacked by one of the nation’s warriors. He watched as some of the crew began to explore further down the coastline, staying where he was in the hope that New Zealand, Aotearoa, would appear. That was what he wanted, more than anything. England had been warned not to go off exploring on his own, but he was very tempted to at this moment.
The nation walked back towards the trees, slowly, hesitantly at the tree line. Should I? He thought, glancing in. I don’t know what’s in there. In his memory, New Zealand had appeared willingly, but something was different this time. Very different. Taking a step in, he nodded, deciding this was the way to go. He walked into the trees, looking around. How do I call him? He wondered. He doesn’t know William, or New Zealand… What was his name before I found him?
He tripped on a protruding rock. Obviously I don’t have my old perception and balancing skills, he thought with a sigh, standing up and brushing himself off. England looked around wearily for any approaching dangers, not thinking to pull out his weapon. The England who belong in this time would have smacked him one for that.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 23:04:36 GMT -5
Aotearoa watched as the chief walked along the tree line, and shrank back into the shadows as he approached. He was surprised that the chief had stopped in front of where he was standing, and for some reason he kept standing there, staring at some random spot to the right of him. Eventually the chief turned around and walked away again.
He watched from his hiding place as the chief's warriors moved away from the chief, leaving him completely alone, and almost laughed. How stupid were they? Capturing the chief out in the open would still be a risk, but they'd been given the... Aotearoa stared. The chief was coming their way without a guard of any sort.
He watched as the chief entered the trees, and he and his warriors surrounded him as he went while still remaining hidden. Suddenly the chief fell over, and there was their chance! They burst out from their hiding places as soon as he'd picked himself up, and pointed their spears at him. Aotearoa stood in front of him with his spear pointing at the chief's chest.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" He said in Maori, and waited for a response from the strange chief.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 23:19:43 GMT -5
England stared at the spear now aimed at his chest, and turned to flee. When he did turn he realized he was completely surrounded. God, what have I done? He thought. He could almost hear his colonial era mentality ranting and raving about the stupidity of walking alone in a new land. He stared blankly at what appeared to be New Zealand. Wasn’t he younger at this time? He thought, suddenly realizing they had obviously stayed much the same, as they were when he had brought them back to this era.
He had no idea what the other was saying, not understanding a word of Maori. “I’m England…” he said, pointing to himself. “England…” Not knowing what else he had asked, he simply tilted his head and looked at him blankly. “Aotearoa?” he asked, knowing his pronunciation was wrong. Wait, I’m not supposed to know what his name is, he realized, mentally slapping himself for being so foolish and not restraining his tongue. Way to go Arthur, you might have just stuffed everything up, he said, sighing slightly. His senses were on high alert, fearful that the spear would pierce him should he say or do something wrong. Not that he can understand me really, he thought, tempted to shrug, but didn’t. His blank face revealed no fear, and he stared back at the other nation coolly.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 2, 2011 23:50:03 GMT -5
Aotearoa watched the chief try to flee only to realise he was surrounded, and tried not to show his amusement on his face as the chief turned back to face him. It was clear he didn't understand their language, but what was this? The chief was pointing at himself and saying something strange. England? Was that the chief's name? After that the chief stared at him again, and said his name!
Aotearoa froze for a second. How did this chief know who he was? Had he talked to one of the neighbouring tribes before entering this tribe's territory? He had lived in this area for quite a while, and all of the neighbouring tribes knew who he was.
"How do you know my name?" Aotearoa poked England with the spear, then drew back again. He was fairly certain this chief didn't actually understand his language, but it was the only one he knew. He wanted to take this chief back to the pa and question him properly, but how could he do it without him knowing the location of it? He didn't have any means of tying him up on him, as he'd left the fishing line down near the beach. He guessed they would have to do it the old fashioned way since they didn't have any rope on them, and stepped back. One end of his spear was for stabbing, and the other was for bashing people with. A decent tap to the head with the more club-like end should knock out the chief long enough for them to take him to the pa.
He flipped the spear over, and went to swing the club-like end towards the chief's head to knock him out.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 0:11:08 GMT -5
He continued to stare at the other nation blank faced when he said something, yet again in his own language. Dammit, I should have asked New Zealand to teach me some of his language when I had the chance, he thought. But, somehow he had managed before right? What had he done? He tried to remember but couldn’t, frowning slightly in concentration. What did I do? God, it must have been such a pain the last time. He really did envy himself at this time, and any other time where he had entered countries where they didn’t speak English. Although he knew some other languages now, he couldn’t actually use them during this time period.
One thing he knew however, was what that weapon was used for. He had seen this nation do that countless times, and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for impact. He hoped it didn’t hurt too much, still thinking himself as weak as he was in the future, not realizing that by going back to the colonial era, and having his empire back, he was actually gaining strength.
He opened his eyes again and stared at the other nation, willing him not to knock him out. He doesn’t trust me, or know who I am, he thought, slightly saddened by that fact. Well, he had known this would have occurred, after learning with his other colonies… ex colonies, that they had no memory whatsoever of him, or life in the future. He smiled slightly and tilted his head forward slightly, wondering if the crew would find him soon.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 0:53:40 GMT -5
He had watched the chief, no, England's reactions as he flipped the spear around, and found them unusual. Normally when he went to strike a blow with his spear his opponent at least tried to fight back, and yet England seemed to accept being knocked out as inevitable. Well, who was he to deny him the inevitable? He wanted to take him back to the pa, but he didn't want him to know the way in case he escaped and told his warriors exactly where to go to get revenge for him being captured by them.
He swung the spear, and hit England on the head, knocking him out. Two of the warriors picked up the unconscious chief, and the group took the long way back to the pa in case one of England's warriors had actually seen this. They went a number of different ways through the bush, even doubling back at some point, and eventually reached the pa, certain they had no one following them by now.
A few of the villagers stared at the group as they walked through the village to the Chief's house, but when they saw Aotearoa was leading the group they ignored them. The group arrived at the Chief's house, and England was still unconscious.
"Chief, we have brought the chief of the warriors who arrived this afternoon." Aotearoa said, and the chief glared at him for a moment. "He was the only one who knows we were out there."
The Chief sighed. Aotearoa watched him carefully and hoped the Chief agreed with his decision to bring England here.
"You have done the right thing bringing him here." The Chief finally said. "Aotearoa, take away any weapons he has, and we will talk to him when he wakes up."
Aotearoa searched England for weapons removing a long pointy thing which had the sharpest blade he'd ever seen, and a stick-thing made of metal and wood which seemed to be mostly hollow, and England had small metal things in his pockets he guessed was for the metal stick thing.
He left England lying on the Chief's floor, and took the interesting things away where he could get a better look at them. He didn't know how the metal hollow stick thing worked, but he would find out somehow.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 1:49:57 GMT -5
Arthur remembered being hit on the head, then nothing. It was dark. No thoughts came.
He woke a while later to find his weapons had been taken from him. And he was in a very strange place. Glancing around, he became slightly fearful. Damn I was stupid, he thought, shaking his head slightly. His head was throbbing. Bloody hell, did he bash my head as hard as he could? He thought, closing his eyes again, hoping the headache would go away. Then he remembered he hadn’t eaten or drunk for a while, which no doubt didn’t help the situation any.
With some difficulty he tried to sit up, wondering where the hell he was. Damn it, they took me back to… where am I? He looked around curiously. It should seem familiar, but obviously this is very different to how it happened, he thought, biting his lip, anxious that he may have altered something in history. Could this change how things turn out? He began to panic. This was not one thing he wished to change. He needed to be here, and New Zealand needed to become part of his Empire. God knows how things would have turned out should the nation have ended up in another’s control.
“Hello?” he called, slightly frightened. It’s been years since I’ve been trapped like this… he thought. Not for a very long time. And by a tribe of wild misfits… Oh lord, I’m starting to think like my old self, he thought. Not good. Thinking like that will get me nowhere. Maybe… maybe my knowledge can help me… Or not. At least don’t be controlling. It won’t be good if the British Empire dies here and now.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 5:11:55 GMT -5
Aotearoa hid the pointy thing he'd taken off of England somewhere safe in his house, and then he stared at the hollow metal stick. It had a long hollow part, and then a solid part that went at an angle. He listened for any noise from England who'd been left in the next room. It was less than ideal for a guest to be kept in a small room of his house like this, but a guest who had weapons as strange as these had to be treated with caution.
He looked down the hollow part of it, and was something in there? There was! He tried to dislodge it by hitting the end of the stick on the ground (pointed away from him, of course), and eventually a metal thing fell out of it with something wrapped around it that made a noise like autumn leaves. He laid aside the noisy bit, and took a good look at the metal thing. It was round, and looked like the other round things he'd taken out of England's pockets.
"What are these things for?" Aotearoa muttered as he looked at the round things, and then the hollow stick and back again. He picked up the hollow stick, and noticed a metal loop and something small his finger could move. He made the small thing click, but the stick did nothing. No extra noise, no movement, just the clicking of the small thing.
"Those round things..." Aotearoa said. "Does the stick thing need them inside it to work?"
"Aotearoa!" He nearly jumped when heard the Chief's voice from behind him. "Are you any closer to figuring out the stick thing, and are you keeping an eye on our guest?"
"I've mostly figured out this thing, and I haven't heard-" He stopped talking as he heard England calling out from the other room. "He must be awake. Do you want me to bring him back to your house?"
"No. We will talk here instead." The Chief said. "Put the stick away, and bring him out here."
Aotearoa looked at the doorway to outside, and saw that there were two warriors already guarding the door. One of the tribe's women came in and brought some food and water to drink then left again. The Chief was well organised today. He got up and put the stick away in one place, and the round things in another. If England got hold of the stick somehow it wouldn't work.
He picked up his spear, and went over to the room England was in. He opened the door carefully to check where England was. He then entered the room, and aimed his spear at him again. He jerked his head towards the door to indicate that he should come out into the other room. Surely that meant the same thing in all languages. They could eat first, and then attempt to talk to each other.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 5:30:31 GMT -5
England sat quietly, looking at whatever he could to occupy his constantly worrying mind. He didn’t know what they were going to do to him now. He began to wonder if the crew were looking for him. I’ve been gone along time, he figured, surely they would be worried. He hoped to God they didn’t come in with their weapons drawn like a bunch of maniacs, but considering the time period, he figured that was more than likely. If they do that, all hells going to break loose.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the boy… well man really. He isn’t your son, he thought, shaking his head. He’s no different to those people out there. He doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from. He stood up and looked at him wearily, and walked out where he seemed to be indicating. Arthur was only guessing that that was what he meant. Well, he hoped he was correct.
Turning, the nation looked around the room, curious. He had never taken much time to understand the Maori culture the first time around. Maybe I can do things differently? He thought. Maybe I can change that. Surely it couldn’t hurt anything in the future right? Learning about the culture of one of the colonies… or not quite colonies? This time travelling thing was confusing his understanding of relations between nations. Having lived through the American Revolution, and Alfred’s intense dislike for him, he found it odd that the American was as adoring and admiring as humanly possible, it was like, in Arthur’s mind, the future had never happened. Second chance basically. So don’t fuck it up this time, he thought, unconsciously nodding slightly.
He continued to watch the other nation wearily, although he was not defensive. Arthur didn’t particularly wish to be hit again, or be killed… Or have anything of that caliber done to him.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 6:35:21 GMT -5
Aotearoa was glad when England walked into the other room where his Chief was waiting to talk to him. He'd understood that at least. He watched as his Chief first rubbed noses with England in greeting, and then he greeted England in the same way. He then waited for his Chief and England to sit down before joining them.
"Food?" He pointed at the food in front of the three of them. Although they'd treated him with suspicion England was still a guest in their pa, and you don't let a guest go hungry. He let England and his Chief go first, and eventually they were ready to talk.
"I apologise for how Aotearoa brought you here." His Chief said, and Aotearoa nodded. "We don't usually treat guests like this."
Aotearoa was about to speak when he heard a strange sound off in the distance he'd never heard before. It sounded like a thunderclap, but the sun was shining outside! What was going on? He then heard another thunderclap, and then another, and they were sounding closer each time! If his Chief was worried about the strange noises, he wasn't showing it. Aotearoa was worried about what these thunderclaps were, where they were from, and if they were harmful to him and his people.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 18:39:06 GMT -5
England rubbed noses with both the Chief and the other nation, then sat down calmly. He was still hoping to God those idiots from the crew wouldn’t barge in, guns blazing like in those damn Western movies Alfred watched… in the future. He looked at the food and nodded, slowly beginning to eat.
Before Arthur could make any attempt at response, not really knowing what the chief had said, he heard what was obviously the sound of his crew firing randomly. He scowled in annoyance. This is exactly what he had been hoping to avoid, but obviously that was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part. So much for peaceful co-operation, he thought, getting to his feet quickly and running outside.
He looked around, not bothering to hide exactly how angry he was. The bloody idiots are going to mess everything up! They were a small distance away, he could see. Taking a step closer to where they were, hands on his waist, glaring daggers, almost literally, at them. “Put your bloody weapons away!” he yelled, but they didn’t seem to hear him. “Bloody hell”, he muttered storming up to the closest crewmate, and taking his gun forcefully from his hands. “I said put them away!” This seemed to cause the others, the followers to halt.
England sighed with relief. That was one disaster averted, he thought happily. He didn’t want to think what would happen if they had started shooting the place up. He ran his fingers through his hair, turning to see if anyone was hurt in the moment of stupidity. But some of the crew, he hadn’t realized, weren’t following the rest, and were still marching forward, firearms raised.
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Post by William Kirkland on Jan 3, 2011 19:59:21 GMT -5
Aotearoa watched England run out the door. Did he know what those thunderclaps were? He went to follow when his Chief stopped him.
"Aotearoa." The Chief said. "What are these thunderclaps?"
"I don't know." Aotearoa brought the hollow stick and the round things to the Chief. "Maybe it's what the stick thing does?"
"Hmm." The Chief said. "If we can't solve this by peaceful means we may have to hand over something valuable to protect this village. You."
"M-me?" Aotearoa hands shook a little, and he fumbled with the hollow stick. He'd managed to find the noisy thing from before, and had wrapped one of the metal things in it. If he could just make it work... "You want me to hand myself over to a complete stranger who doesn't understand our lands, our language, and our ways?"
"Yes." The Chief put his hand on the hollow stick to keep it steady as Aotearoa worked. "I'm sorry, Aotearoa, but I have to do what's best for this village. If what's best for it is handing you over to England, then so be it."
"He knew my name." Aotearoa said. He'd managed to push the round thing into the hollow part of the stick as far as one of his fingers could reach, but he was sure the one he'd knocked out of it was further down in the hollow part. "He knew who I was just by looking at me. I brought him here because I wanted to know why he knew."
"He was searching for you. Not us, not our village, you." The Chief said. "If we give you to them, they'll leave."
Aotearoa was speechless. England somehow knew his name, and came here to find him? But, but, he was just an ordinary warrior like everyone else! Sure, he was welcomed by all tribes, and thought of all of them as his people, his family. Yes, he felt something deep down inside when large numbers of them die, like when mountains burst and what's inside destroys all it touches. And yes, he had seen everyone in this village grow up, grow old, and even die while he stayed the same, but was he really important enough for a complete stranger like England to come find him?
"Then it's settled." The Chief said as Aotearoa found a stick that might do what he needed it to. "If we cannot get these people to leave by peaceful means, you will surrender."
"Yes Chief." Aotearoa said as he pushed the round thing into the hollow stick as far as it would go. He didn't like the Chief's decision, but he understood that it was for the tribe's sake, not his. He picked up the hollow stick, and took a last look around his house. Surrender went against everything he knew was right, but if he had to do so in the end, he would. "Thank you for letting me live with you for so long."
He walked out of the house with the hollow stick followed by the two warriors who stood guard at his house, and tried to figure out exactly how to hold it to make it useful as he walked towards the village entrance. The solid end was heavy, so the stick had to be held with both hands. The loop with the clicky thing in it had to be clicked by one hand, and the hollow part had to be held up by the other. He couldn't also hold up the solid end with the hand that used the clicky thing, so how do you use it? He had more of the round things on him, but he didn't have any of the noisy things to wrap around them. With a bit of luck he won't need to actually use the stick.
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